the1thatgotaway

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Mailed off the check today. It's a 2005 Xpress X19. Had a mechanic take it out on the water, run a compression test, check the hull, check all the systems and it passed with flying colors. I'm beyond excited to finally be out on the water instead of being on the bank longingly staring out as the guys on boats cruise around the lake. Thanks to everyone who chimed in here on my last post... it definitely helped me in making my decision. One more question. For convenience sake, I'm thinking of renting a covered slip for the summer and fall on Grand Lake here in Oklahoma. What are the pros and cons of leaving the boat in the water? Do I really need to invest in a lift? I hear people swear by one way or the other. Its a tin hull, so no gel coat, if that makes a difference. Thoughts, comments, concerns?? Here are some pictures of my baby to be... driving down next Sunday to pick her up!!! I'll be removing the decals, and at some point in time having the hull repainted black. But that's down the road. Right now I'm just over the moon to even have a boat.

Man, if I was getting national TV coverage I don't think I'd be buying a used boat!! I just realized I didn't mention this in my original post, but the boat has an aluminum hull. Does that change anything? Or should I proceed as instructed?

I'm about to pull the trigger on a used boat. The boat is in great condition. The owner does have stickers from his sponsors on the hull. There aren't a ton, and they aren't huge, but I'd like to take them off. He said they've been on about a year, and that they should come off nicely with a blow dryer and not leave any marks. Anyone had any experience with this?

One more thing, does anyone have experience with getting decals off a boat? He has several stickers on the boat from his sponsors. He said they went on about a year ago, and that with a hair dryer I should be able to remove them without leaving a mark. Any truth to this?

I'm having the boat I'm looking at given a full systems check and a test drive by a mechanic that comes highly recommended. I think if he gives it a thumbs up I'm gonna go for the used X19.

So, how would you feel buying a boat from a tournament angler? On the one hand, you know the boat has most likely been run pretty hard. But on the other hand, you can pretty much bet that its been well taken care of, maintenanced, etc.

I'm afraid of buying too small and then regretting not going for a bigger boat. And also, I like the advantages of a four stroke... but are they worth the $7500 price increase of new boat? I'm in Tulsa. There is a very good Xpress dealer about 3.5 hours from me. He's been super helpful and comes highly recommended by Xpress.

From everything I've read and all the owners I've talked to, the higher price is justified. The handling is far superior to that of other aluminum boats. Also they seem to hold their value longer, which is also another good sign. I'm up for being wrong, I just haven't heard anything but high praise for Xpress bass boats.

Hello Everyone, I'm new to the boards. Anyway, I'm about to buy my first boat, and I'm looking for some advice from guys who've been in my shoes before. I'm a serious angler, and within the next week I'll be purchasing an Xpress X series boat. Choosing Xpress was the easy part, deciding on new or used is the hard part. Now please, don't tell me to search the forum for my answer. I have scoured every forum on the internet for the last month while deciding what boat to get. I still have a few very specific questions. If I buy new I can only afford the X17 with a 115 Yamaha four stroke. good boat. That will run me about 20K with freight and dealer prep. Used I can step up to the X19 with a 150 Yamaha vmax. There is one boat in particular that I am itching to pull the trigger on. It was fished by a tournament guy and he doesn't know the exact hours on the motor, but he says they're high. It's a 2005 and fished a lot. The boat is in great condition, and he stands behind it. Carpet looks good in pictures, the paint is nice, etc. The boat is out of state, and he offered to take it to any mechanic of my choosing to have it checked out. I found a place that will take it out on the water, run a compression test, check all the systems etc, for 250 bucks. He's asking $12,500 for the boat. I'm not really in the market to get a boat and in a few years sell it and buy a new one. I want this boat to last me a long time. I guess my question is, if you were in my shoes, would you go for smaller brand new boat, but with a four stroke and better fuel efficiency, (i don't have tons of cash to be spending burning buckets of gas shooting around the lake) a warranty on the motor, lifetime warranty on the hull, and the all the fun of that brand new boat smell.... or would you spend less on a bigger boat with a bigger motor, but one that is less fuel efficient, and has high hours on the motor. Obviously I'll only follow through if the mechanic gives it an A+ review... but still... what to do? If the motor goes out in the next few years, I'm looking at spending 12K on a new one... which would mean I'd spent 25K total and for that price I could have gotten a brand new X19. I guess I should clarify I can't spend more than $20,000. Also, I'm pretty dead set on an aluminum boat. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Also, if there are any Oklahoma guys, (I'm in Tulsa) who would like to hit up near by lakes let me know. I'd love to get acquainted with anyone who's out there on Oklahoma water. Thanks a bunch guys, and I look forward to becoming a part of your community here at Bass Resource!! -Ben